Capt. Julian Gluck, a B-52 pilot whose dedication to volunteering both at home and abroad earned him recognition in 2018 as Air Force Times’ Airman of the Year, has been named one of Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30.”
Forbes named Gluck to its Law and Policy list on Dec. 3, which honors 20-somethings “fighting for your rights and better government.” Gluck was honored for working “as a nonprofit leader and policy advocate to bridge the civilian-military gap,” and running a program to help the immigrant population in Qatar.
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Gluck is the executive officer for 2nd Operations Group, part of the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. He previously was with the wing’s 20th Bomb Squadron.
While deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, flying missions against the Islamic State and insurgents in Afghanistan, Gluck reached out to foreign workers and set up a new project to help provide them underwear, T-shirts and other necessities.
His effort expanded when he realized care packages sent to troops there often included canned food that ended up going to waste. So Gluck went around to his squadron, collecting hundreds of pounds of unused food. He delivered 27 large boxes of food, medical supplies and children’s toys to a church in Doha for distribution to foreign workers in need, many of them from poorer countries such as the Philippines.
Gluck, who learned Japanese at the Air Force Academy, also has traveled to Japan periodically as part of the Language Enabled Airman Program. His efforts in Japan have included everything from helping sweep streets to teaching Japanese airmen — including senior commanders — about American aircraft.
He also volunteered with the Knights of Columbus in the community around Barksdale, helping coordinate about 33,500 volunteers across the state who conducted 1.9 million hours of volunteer service and disbursed about $3 million in 2017.
As deputy commander for the Barksdale Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, he mentored 55 local cadets and senior members.
In an email to Air Force Times Thursday, Gluck said opportunities for service members and civilians to volunteer, both at home and abroad, are particularly meaningful and help bring their communities closer together.
“The greatest honor of my life has been serving in uniform and deploying with the incredible aviators and airmen of the United States Air Force and our joint partners,” Gluck said in the email. “The amazing people who make up our military continuously motivate me, and I look forward to continuing to lead and to learn from the outstanding members who make our Air Force the world’s finest.”
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
